Anti-Social Behaviour

Domestic abuse is when someone hurts, controls or scares a partner or family member. It can be physical or emotional. It can happen in any home. If someone feels trapped, frightened or unsafe, this is serious ASB. Help is available and anyone in danger should call 999.

Visit our domestic abuse page to find support

A hate crime is when someone is targeted because of who they are, such as their race, religion, disability, sexuality or gender identity. Hate crimes aim to hurt or scare people. This is serious ASB and should be reported to the Police. Call 999 if anyone is in danger.

This is when noise is very loud and keeps going for a long time, especially late at night or early in the morning. It stops people from relaxing or sleeping. If a friendly chat does not fix the noise, it may be ASB and can be reported to Magenta.

Drug use or dealing means people are taking or selling illegal drugs. This is a crime and can make people feel unsafe in their home or neighbourhood. It often causes visitors, noise or risky behaviour. If this is happening near you, it counts as ASB and should be reported to the Police on 101.

Threatening behaviour is when someone shouts, swears, scares or threatens another person. This can make people feel unsafe in their home or community. This is serious ASB and a crime. Call 999 if you feel frightened or at risk.

A dangerous dog is a dog that scares people or tries to bite. This can put others at risk. A dog is classed as dangerous when its behaviour could harm a person or another animal. If you ever feel frightened or think someone could get hurt, this is ASB. Call the Police on 999 straight away.

View the Banned Dogs List

Gang activity is when a group acts in a way that causes fear, trouble or crime in an area. This can make people feel unsafe in their own home or neighbourhood. Any gang activity you see or hear about should be treated as ASB and reported to the Police on 101.

Knife and gun crime is when people carry or use weapons. This is extremely dangerous and can cause serious harm. If you see or hear anything involving weapons, it is a serious ASB issue. Always call 999 immediately.

Dogs bark, but if a dog barks loudly for long periods, it can disturb neighbours. When barking happens again and again and affects everyday life, it may be ASB. If speaking to the neighbour doesn’t help, it can be reported to Magenta.

Cannabis cultivation means growing cannabis plants inside a home. This is illegal and can be unsafe because of fire risks, strong smells and lots of visitors. It is a breach of tenancy and is classed as ASB. Report it to the Police on 101.

For emergency assistance, please call 999.

Crime is doing something forbidden by law, and in this instance, you should contact the Police.

Crimes that can often be mistaken for anti-social behaviour include:

• Cuckooing is a crime where gangs exploit vulnerable people. A common form of cuckooing is when a vulnerable person's home is taken over and used to conduct illegal activities.

• Cannabis is an illegal drug, its use and/or supply should be reported to the Police. If a customer is identified as using and/or supplying cannabis in their home and this is witnessed by Police, Magenta Living will explore enforcement action.

Magenta Living work closely with the Police and other partners to help resolve ASB cases and look for useful long-term solutions to local problems.

We take all reports of ASB seriously and will work with you to try and resolve the issue, but we cannot do this without your help.

Your report will give us the information and evidence that we need to take action to stop the ASB from happening. Without this, we are unable to understand what you are going through and how often something is happening.

When appropriate, we can also share information with our partners, like the Police, so that they can also investigate the problem swiftly and work with us to resolve it.

We need evidence to take this forward.

Your reports can also help us to understand if someone may need help or be at risk.

We can record anonymous reports, however, this will mean that our case officer will not be able to update you on actions being taken to resolve the report.

We promise to keep your details confidential.

In some cases, it may be apparent to the alleged perpetrator of who has made the complaint. For example, if you are complaining of loud music and you live in the only adjoining property.

There are certain things that we have a duty to report, for example where a child or vulnerable person may require safeguarding. If we need to disclose your information to a third party in these circumstances, we will always attempt to tell you first.

Sometimes, the best course of action could be to, calmly and politely, discuss your concerns with the person who is causing a problem, to see if an agreement can be reached.

For example, asking a neighbour to turn their music down after a certain time in person or by letter.

We understand that sometimes this isn't possible, or that you may be worried about how the person will react. If you want to talk through the issue before you decide on the best course of action, please contact us.

All reports are stored on our internal case management system and can only be viewed by Magenta Living employees.

We will aim to contact you within 3 working days following a report of ASB and where appropriate, you will be offered an interview with your Neighbourhood Services Officer or Community Safety Officer.

When we contact you, we may need to ask you quite a few different questions to fully understand what has happened. These questions will also help us to identify any risks that we may need to help you manage, particularly in cases around domestic abuse or hate-related harassment.

During this interview, we will agree an action plan with you and discuss how we are going to progress the case.

The action plan will depend on several factors, including:

• the type of ASB that is being reported

• how often it happens

• risks to others

• evidence

• who is being affected

We will need evidence to show that the allegations made to us are true. Evidence can be provided through photos, videos, or recordings.

For noise complaints, you may be offered The Remote App which can be downloaded onto your smartphone or tablet. You can record instances of noise which will be sent directly to us.

We would not encourage you to obtain evidence if it is not safe or appropriate to do so.

Most reports we receive are resolved quickly, however, some can be more complex. For more complex cases, we may take one or more of the following actions:

• verbal warning

• written warning

• yellow and red card notice

• mediation

• restorative practice

• acceptable behaviour agreements

• parenting agreements

In some cases, legal action may become necessary, including an injunction, possession, or demotion order. The Police and Local Authority have additional authority to stop ASB.

If your case goes to court (and you are a victim/subject), you will have a named Officer who will support you through this process. They will be with you on the day and can arrange for transport and refreshments. They will talk to you before the hearing so you know what to expect, and you will get an opportunity to speak to the solicitor who is handling the case.

If following the court hearing a judge grants an Order, we will explain what this means and what happens next. We will keep in touch with you regularly after the court hearing to ensure the situation has been resolved. If you need any further support, this will be arranged for you.

Cases are normally closed once the ASB issues have been resolved, and when you and Magenta Living have agreed to close it.

There may however be occasions when a case may be closed without an agreement or resolution from all involved parties.

We understand that you may be concerned about a problem starting again, however, we cannot keep a case open continuously if all actions have been met and/or the problem is resolved. Your case will remain on our management system, so Magenta Living employees can review it in the future if needed.

If your problem reoccurs, you can contact us and request that the old case be reopened.

All cases are regularly audited, and we independently attempt to survey all closed cases to get feedback on our service. If you are not satisfied with how your case is being handled, or the outcome, please contact us and ask to speak to Community Safety Team Manager. They will discuss your case handling and/or outcome to see if there is anything further that can be done.

If you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint.

If you feel your reports are not being taken seriously by us, or any other support agencies such as the Police, you can raise a Community Trigger.